As we learn to give thanks for all of life and death, for all of this given world of ours, we find a deep joy. It is the joy of trust, the joy of faith in the faithfulness at the heart of all things. It is the joy of gratefulness in touch with the fullness of life.

The universe is gratis. It cannot be earned, nor need it be earned.

Gratefulness is the inner gesture of giving meaning to our life by receiving life as gift.

Try pausing right before and right after undertaking a new action, even something simple like putting a key in a lock to open a door. Such pauses take a brief moment, yet they have the effect of decompressing time and centering you.

As I express my gratitude, I become more deeply aware of it. And the greater my awareness, the greater my need to express it. What happens here is a spiraling ascent, a process of growth in ever expanding circles around a steady center.

One single gift acknowledged in gratefulness has the power to dissolve the ties of our alienation.

The root of joy is gratefulness...It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful.